Thursday - Another Amazing Day

A post from Mrs. Donnelly and Carole Dicton

Work continued on both houses today. Once again the girls blew us away with their work ethic and attitude.

At the Stahl home (Jessica and Christopher) we worked on siding the house, installing hurricane strips, finishing the shed and doghouse, and installing roof support beams. At Alicia's home (the other Habitat Home), we put up the porch ceiling, caulked, primed and painted it, and then did touch-up painting on the rest of the house.

A few more detailed explanations about some of the photos we just posted:

First, the sweat. I think a few of the girls have referenced the heat and sweat in their posts. We hear that temperatures back home are pretty intense, so things may not be all that different down here, but the humidity is super high and we are outside ALL DAY, working very hard. We start each morning at 8 a.m. and work through around noon, when we return to Lagniappe for lunch (a brief escape into AC for about an hour or so). Then back into the blazing heat until about 4.30 or so. We take breaks often and drink LOTS of water. But the sweat still manages to bead-up on on our faces, frequently.

Second, the writing on the shed wall. This is a Habitat tradition in some places. People who have worked on a home write messages, prayers, good wishes, etc., on the beams of a home before the drywall is installed. In this way the home is wrapped in love and home owners are always surrounded by the positive energy of those who contributed to their home. The Scranton Prep group basically built this shed from the ground up. They dug the footings, set the foundation, built the walls, sided the whole thing, did the trim, built the door and installed the hinges for it.

Tonight the girls invited the AmeriCorps volunteers over to our camp and right now they are all playing cards at the next table (some strange game called spoons; there's a lot of shouting and frenzied activity).

After a full night's sleep, we embark upon our last day of work. It will be a bittersweet day - we'll be glad the hard work is finished (for us at least), but sad to leave all the new friends we've made and to leave knowing so much more work here remains to be done.